Sometimes my greatest challenge was just getting out of bed; compared to that, winning a gold medal was pretty easy, says Olympic swimming champion From winning 23 gold medals and setting 39 world records to battling a strong urge to end his life, Olympic champion Michael Phelps has come a …

Buried beneath a kilometre of snow and ice in northern Greenland, scientists have uncovered an asteroid impact crater, bigger than the area of Paris. This is the first time that a crater of any size has been found under one of Earth’s continental ice sheets, said researchers from the University …

Astronomers have discovered a frozen planet with a mass over three times that of the Earth, orbiting the closest solitary star to the Sun. The potentially rocky planet, known as Barnard’s star b, is a ‘super-Earth’ and orbits around its host star once every 233 days, said researchers from Queen …

Denmark said on Thursday it would create an international research centre focused on the fight against resistance to antibiotics, a scourge affecting almost half a million people worldwide. Danish Health Minister Ellen Trane Norby signed a memorandum of understanding in Seattle, in the United States, with the international network of …

In a bid to reduce global air pollution, Swedish home furnishing company IKEA on Thursday announced its plan to turn rice straw into a new renewable material source for its products. The project, part of the company’s ‘Better Air Now’ initiative, will begin from India and is focussed on New …

Oxford Dictionary has declared the adjective ‘toxic’ as the Word of the Year for what it says reflects the ethos, mood, or preoccupations in 2018. The word was selected from a shortlist that included ‘gaslighting,’ ‘incel’ and ‘techlash.’ The data showed that, after ‘chemical’, ‘masculinity’ is the most-used word in …

Russia hosted a regional conference on Afghanistan last week to nudge the reconciliation process between the Taliban and the Afghan authorities. The Taliban were represented by the political council chief, Sher Mohammad Stanikzai. Representatives from Afghanistan, China, Pakistan, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, the U.S. and India swere also …

The making of a coalition is no more a matter of choice for the parties opposed to the right-wing authoritarian postures of the BJP but a command from the common people. The churning on the ground among almost all social groups is exerting pressure on the Opposition parties to jettison …

The Dalmia Bharat Group has moved the Supreme Court challenging the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) order approving UltraTech Cements Rs. 7,950-crore bid for Binani Cement. Confirming the development, Mahendra Singhi, MD and CEO, Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Limited told The Hindu , “We have filed an appeal in the …

The debate on opening the shrine to all women is revealing deep casteism and misogyny Sabarimala, it appears, could be our new touchstone for understanding liberals, especially from Kerala. The intellectual emptiness in the arguments of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor and former Foreign Secretary Nirupama Menon Rao on the Sabarimala …

The GSLV-GSAT launch enhances India’s capacity to meet its communication needs The Indian Space Research Organisation has marked a big milestone by successfully testing its heavy-lift launcher while launching an advanced communication satellite. It plans to use this for the Chandrayaan-II moon mission in the early months of 2019. On …

The Union Steel Ministry is concerned over the low level of per capita steel consumption in India, according to Steel Secretary Binoy Kumar. “Per capita steel consumption of steel in India at 69 kg [according to Joint Plant Committee data] is still low compared to the world average of 214 …

Israel and Hamas need to pull back to allow humanitarian intervention in the territory The sudden flare-up in Gaza between Palestinian militant groups and Israel is another grim reminder that the situation in the blockaded Mediterranean strip remains precarious. The latest violence was triggered by a botched spy operation by …

In many recent judgments, the Supreme Court has become hyper-activist in making laws. But can judges legislate? This question has already been answered in the past by the court. In Ram Jawaya v. The State of Punjab (1955), the court observed: “Our Constitution does not contemplate assumption, by one organ …

“What to do with the Kaiser?” is the question most keenly debated in Paris. The French press demands that the Kaiser shall be placed on trial by the free peoples for the murder of millions of men and for the ravaged towns. No agreeable retirement must be allowed him. [In …

The Department of Telecom has instructed State-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (BSNL) and Bharat Broadband Network Ltd. (BBNL) to submit reports every day on the progress made in the Bharat Net project that seeks to connect 2.5 lakh gram panchayats in the country through high-speed broadband by March 2019. “Despite …

India’s merchandise trade deficit widened in October to $17.13 billion due in large part to a higher oil import bill, official data released on Thursday showed. The trade deficit is wider than the $14.61 billion seen in October of last year and the $13.98 billion in September 2018. Positive growth …

President, Dr. Zakir Husain said here [New Delhi] to-day [November 15] that the draft Fourth Plan will be presented to the National Development Council in January next. The preparation of the Fourth Plan had involved difficult choices at every stage and a re-formulation of basic national policies. Inaugurating the conference …

There is no liquidity crisis in the NBFC sector right now, according to SBI chairman Rajnish Kumar. “There is no liquidity crisis in the NBFC sector… Roll-overs have been successful and all of them have been able to meet their commitments as far as their obligations are concerned,” Mr. Kumar …

Fitch Ratings on Thursday retained India’s sovereign rating at ‘BBB-’, the lowest investment grade rating, although maintaining its stable outlook. The company added that the economy would shrug off any lingering effects of demonetisation and GST during 2018-19 and 2019-20. “India’s rating balances a strong medium-term growth outlook and favourable …